September 20, 2024 // by Framingham Pediatrics

Concussions

With fall school and town sports underway again, we’d like to share some information about head injuries and concussions. Unfortunately, football and boys’ and girls’ soccer are the sports responsible for the largest number of concussions we see every year. There are so many wonderful benefits to team and individual sports, but it is important to be on the lookout for some of the serious injuries that can sometimes occur. If a concussion during sports is suspected, it is very important to STOP PLAYINGimmediately and to be evaluated prior to return.

A concussion is a brain injury caused by either a direct impact to the head or by any rapid uncontrolled forward, backward or twist movement of the head. In a concussion, the individual brain cells are damaged, and do not work normally. Very rarely, a head injury can result in even more serious injuries to the brain, such as swelling or bleeding. Part of the initial evaluation of a head injury is to rule out these more serious injuries.

Concussion symptoms may develop immediately after an injury or may slowly evolve over the course of 1-2 days. The type and severity of symptoms vary, but may include headache, dizziness, nausea, fatigue, sleep or emotional changes and others.

The most important aspect of managing concussions is to avoid additional head injury. We want to do everything we can to reduce the risk of “second impact syndrome,” a potentially severe long term brain injury that can result from getting a second concussion prior to the resolution of the first concussion.

Learn more about concussions and their management here.

Did You Know?

Did you know? Well visits to your child's pediatrician are crucial for tracking developmental milestones and identifying potential health issues early on. Book your Well Visits on MyChart.

From the Provider's Desk

We wanted to share some important information about two mosquito-borne illnesses, Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE) and West Nile virus, which have been making headlines lately.

What are EEE and West Nile virus? Both are rare but serious illnesses caused by viruses that can be spread by infected mosquitoes. While most people infected with EEE or West Nile virus don't develop any symptoms, some can experience a fever, headache, and nausea. In rare cases, both viruses can cause brain swelling (encephalitis) which can be very dangerous.

How can you protect yourself? The good news is that both EEE and West Nile virus are preventable!

Here are some tips:

  • Wear long sleeves and pants when playing outside to prevent mosquito bites.
  • Use insect repellent with DEET, picaridin, or lemon eucalyptus oil. Ask an adult to help apply it.
  • Stay inside during dawn and dusk, when mosquitoes are most active.
  • Make sure your windows and doors have screens to keep mosquitoes out.
  • Remove standing water around your home where mosquitoes can lay eggs. If you experience any symptoms like fever or headache after being bitten by a mosquito, tell an adult right away.

For more information on prevention, click here.

Stay safe, and keep enjoying the great outdoors!

Flu and COVID Vaccines are In!!!

As usual, Framingham Pediatrics will offer flu and COVID vaccines in the following ways:

  1. Any patient, or sibling, who has a scheduled visit in the office will be offered the flu vaccine during their visit. If you would like a non-scheduled sibling to get a flu vaccine while they are in with your other child, we ask that you PLEASE let us know ahead of time. 
  2. Scheduled Vaccine Clinic appointments through MyChart

Clinic Dates

  • Thursday, September 19, 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. AND 1:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.
  • Tuesday, September 24, 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. AND 1:30 p.m. to 4 p.m.
  • Tuesday, October 1, 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. AND 1:30 p.m. to 4 p.m.
  • Thursday October 3, 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. AND 1 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.

ADDITIONAL DATES WILL BE ADDED SOON!

For more information on the Flu and COVID vaccines and how to schedule on MyChart, please click here. 

Pre-visit Questionnaires

Please help us to help you! We ask that you make every effort to complete your pre-visit questionnaires on MyChart before your visit. This will save time at the office, will make our time together more efficient, and will in many cases help us provide better preventative care to you and your child.

Did You Know?

According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, suicide is the 2nd leading cause of death among young people 10-24 years of age in the US.

We want to take this opportunity to share some resources that we should all be aware of:

Please look out for the people you know and love. Reaching out or making a call can save a life. And please share this information with your family and friends.

Nutrition Corner with Katelyn Castro, MS, RD, LDN, CEDS

My child is a picky eater and refuses to try new foods. What should I do?

First off, you're not alone. It's very common for kids to have a limited repertoire of foods that they're interested in eating. And most kids still get what they need nutritionally to support their overall health. While having a short list of foods that kids are comfortable eating can make mealtimes more stressful and parents can feel pressure to "fix" or "change" the way their kid is eating, it's important for parents to step back to understand that their role is supporting their kids with feeding, with the goal of building a trusting relationship with food and their bodies. Parents' job is to decide when, what and where food is offered to kids. Kids are in charge of deciding if and how much they want to eat from the options available.

We can think of picky eating on a continuum of how much it may impact a child’s health and functioning: mild picky eating may have little to no impact on a kid’s day to day functioning or overall health, whereas extreme picky eating could interfere with growth and development (i.e. malnutrition, iron deficiency, etc.) or get in the way of functioning at school or socially (i.e. difficulty eating at school, with friends, when traveling, etc.),

If it seems like picky eating may be interfering with health or development, our dietitian/nutrition therapist works with families to understand why a kid may be a picky eater and how picky eating may be impacting their health - taking time to explore this first is essential to address any nutrition gaps and experiment with finding strategies or accommodations specific to each child's unique needs. 

For example, children may be considered a picky eater for a variety of reasons: sensory sensitivities (i.e. hypersensitive to flavor, texture, etc.), delayed oral motor skills (i.e. difficulty chewing), previous negative associations with eating (gagging, reflux, vomiting, etc.), behavioral (i.e. seeking control), etc. 

Regardless of where someone may fall on the spectrum of food variety/experimentation, making eating more enjoyable, less stressful (zero pressure), and more explorative allows kids to be more intuitive, responsive and receptive to eating, and potentially expanding their food palate. Our nutritionist can help parents/caregivers feel more confident about having the tools they need to approach picky eating with children’s whole health in mind.

You can check out more tips for picky eaters here and feeding strategies here, among other resources listed on our nutrition page.

Employee Spotlight

Brianna - Front Desk Associate

How long have you been at Framingham Pediatrics? : 1 year

Favorite ice cream flavor : Mint Chocolate Chip

Favorite children's book: The Giving Tree

Favorite Disney movie? : Beauty and the Beast

What is the best part about working at Framingham Pediatrics?: As a former patient, the best part about working at Framingham Pediatrics is being able to help families and give back to the community I grew up in.

Tags
Concussion
Flu Clinic
COVID Vaccine
Nutrition
Newsletter
September
Mental Health